George C. Daughan's Books

If By Sea

The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812

By: George C Daughan

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If By Sea

The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812

By: George C Daughan

The American Revolution-and thus the history of the United States-began not on land but on the sea. Paul Revere began his famous midnight ride not by jumping on a horse, but by scrambling into a skiff with two other brave patriots to cross Boston Harbor to Charlestown. Revere and his companions rowed with muffled oars to avoid capture by the British warships closely guarding the harbor. As they paddled silently, Revere's neighbor was flashing two lanterns from the belfry of Old North Church, signaling patriots in Charlestown that the redcoats were crossing the Charles River in longboats. In every major Revolutionary battle thereafter the sea would play a vital, if historically neglected, role. When the American colonies took up arms against Great Britain, they were confronting the greatest sea-power of the age. And it was during the War of Independence that the American Navy was born. But following the British naval model proved crushingly expensive, and the Founding Fathers fought viciously for decades over whether or not the fledgling republic truly needed a deep-water fleet. The debate ended only when the Federal Navy proved indispensable during the War of 1812. Drawing on decades of prodigious research, historian George C. Daughan chronicles the embattled origins of the U.S. Navy. From the bloody and gunpowder-drenched battles fought by American sailors on lakes and high seas to the fierce rhetorical combat waged by the Founders in Congress, If By Sea charts the course by which the Navy became a vital and celebrated American institution.

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674

Publisher

Basic Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0786731931

ISBN 13

9780786731930

The Shining Sea

David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812

By: George C Daughan

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The Shining Sea

David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812

By: George C Daughan

A few months after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Captain David Porter set out in the USS Essex on an epic, seventeen-month cruise to the South Seas. Porter was pursuing fame and riches, and by most accounts his odyssey was a stunning success: it brought glory to the fledgling American navy, cemented Porter's reputation as a daring and talented commander, and has long been celebrated as one of the greatest maritime adventures in U.S. history. Less well known, however, is the terrible price that the crew of the Essex paid for their captain's outsized ambitions. In The Shining Sea, award-winning historian George C. Daughan tells the full story of Porter's thrilling, action-packed voyage, revealing the heights of Porter's hubris and the true depths of his failure on this fateful cruise. Intent on achieving personal glory, Porter made the treacherous journey around Cape Horn and into the Pacific Ocean, where he planned to capture a British man-of-war. From Valparaiso to the Galapagos to the Marquesas, the Essex roamed the South Seas, seizing British whaling and merchant ships, wreaking havoc on British commerce, and earning Porter and his men wealth and acclaim. Flush with his victories, Porter welcomed the news that a British frigate-the HMS Phoebe-was on his tail, and he resolved to capture her. But Porter could not overcome the Phoebe's superior firepower. Over the course of a desperate, bloody battle, he lost the Essex and over two-thirds of her crew-a shocking end to a daring journey. A swashbuckling tale of risk and ruin on the high seas, The Shining Sea brings to life the monomaniacal quest of one of the most misunderstood commanders of the War of 1812. Porter's singular voyage, Daughan shows, stands as a cautionary tale for any leader who would put personal glory and ambition ahead of cause and countrymen.

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378

Publisher

Basic Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0465069940

ISBN 13

9780465069941

Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

By: George C. Daughan

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Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

By: George C. Daughan

The riveting untold story of the fight for the Hudson River Valley, the decisive campaign of the Revolutionary War. No part of the country was more contested during the American Revolution than New York City and its surroundings. Military leaders of the time—and generations of scholars since—believed that the Hudson River Valley was America’s geographic jugular, which, if cut, would quickly bleed the rebellion to death. In Revolution on the Hudson, prize-winning historian George C. Daughan makes the daring new argument that this strategy would never have worked, and that dogged pursuit of dominance over the Hudson ultimately cost Britain the war. This groundbreaking naval history offers a thrilling response to one of our most vexing historical questions: How could a fledgling nation have defeated the most powerful war machine of the era?

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Page Count

449

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

039324573X

ISBN 13

9780393245738

1812

The Navy's War

By: George C. Daughan

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1812

The Navy's War

By: George C. Daughan

Tells the story of how America's war fleet, only twenty ships strong, was able to defeat the world's greatest imperial power through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado to win the War of 1812.

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530

Publisher

Basic Books (AZ)

Published Date

ISBN 10

0465020461

ISBN 13

9780465020461

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

By: George C. Daughan

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Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

By: George C. Daughan

A wonderful addition to the literature on the American Revolution, full of enlightening facts and figures." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review George C. Daughan’s magnificently detailed account of the battle of Lexington and Concord challenges the prevailing narrative of the American War of Independence. It was, Daughan argues, based as much on economic concerns as political ones. When Massachusetts militiamen turned out in overwhelming numbers to fight the British, they believed they were fighting for their farms and livelihoods, as well as for liberty. In the eyes of many American colonists, Britain’s repressive measures were not simply an effort to reestablish political control of the colonies, but also a means to reduce the prosperous colonists to the serfdom Benjamin Franklin witnessed on his tour of Ireland and Scotland. Authoritative and thoroughly researched, Lexington and Concord is a “worthy resource for history buffs seeking a closer look at what drove the start of the American Revolution” (Booklist).

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Page Count

318

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

0393245756

ISBN 13

9780393245752

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

By: George C. Daughan

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Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

By: George C. Daughan

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318

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

0393245756

ISBN 13

9780393245752

1812

The Navy's War

By: George C Daughan

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1812

The Navy's War

By: George C Daughan

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America's prospects looked dismal. It was clear that the primary battlefield would be the open ocean -- but America's war fleet, only twenty ships strong, faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Still, through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, the American navy managed to take the fight to the British and turn the tide of the war: on the Great Lakes, in the Atlantic, and even in the eastern Pacific. In 1812: The Navy's War, prizewinning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world's greatest imperial power. A stunning contribution to military and national history, 1812: The Navy's War is the first complete account in more than a century of how the U.S. Navy rescued the fledgling nation and secured America's future.

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530

Publisher

Basic Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

046502808X

ISBN 13

9780465028085

The Shining Sea

David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812

By: George Daughan

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The Shining Sea

David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812

By: George Daughan

A few months after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Captain David Porter set out in the USS Essex on an epic, seventeen-month cruise to the South Seas. Porter was pursuing fame and riches, and by most accounts his odyssey was a stunning success: it brought glory to the fledgling American navy, cemented Porter’s reputation as a daring and talented commander, and has long been celebrated as one of the greatest maritime adventures in U.S. history. Less well known, however, is the terrible price that the crew of the Essex paid for their captain’s outsized ambitions. In The Shining Sea, award-winning historian George C. Daughan tells the full story of Porter’s thrilling, action-packed voyage, revealing the heights of Porter’s hubris and the true depths of his failure on this fateful cruise. Intent on achieving personal glory, Porter made the treacherous journey around Cape Horn and into the Pacific Ocean, where he planned to capture a British man-of-war. From Valparaiso to the Galapagos to the Marquesas, the Essex roamed the South Seas, seizing British whaling and merchant ships, wreaking havoc on British commerce, and earning Porter and his men wealth and acclaim. Flush with his victories, Porter welcomed the news that a British frigate—the HMS Phoebe—was on his tail, and he resolved to capture her. But Porter could not overcome the Phoebe’s superior firepower. Over the course of a desperate, bloody battle, he lost the Essex and over two-thirds of her crew—a shocking end to a daring journey. A swashbuckling tale of risk and ruin on the high seas, The Shining Sea brings to life the monomaniacal quest of one of the most misunderstood commanders of the War of 1812. Porter’s singular voyage, Daughan shows, stands as a cautionary tale for any leader who would put personal glory and ambition ahead of cause and countrymen.

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Page Count

378

Publisher

Constellation

Published Date

ISBN 10

0465019625

ISBN 13

9780465019625

If By Sea

The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812

By: George C Daughan

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

If By Sea

The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812

By: George C Daughan

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

674

Publisher

Basic Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0786731931

ISBN 13

9780786731930

Book's by George C. Daughan

If By Sea

If By Sea

The Shining Sea

The Shining Sea

Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

Revolution on the Hudson: New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

1812

1812

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World

1812

1812

The Shining Sea

The Shining Sea

If By Sea

If By Sea

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